


Missing Time

by NovaPennCorr



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jancy, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:33:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25133953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaPennCorr/pseuds/NovaPennCorr
Summary: This fic is basically filling in the missing time between season 2 and season 3.
Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1: The Snow Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, I would really love any feedback because I don't write often. This chapter picks up right at the end of season 2

Crisp frozen snowflakes drifted down and created a thick blanket across the ground. It _smelled_ cold. I walked briskly to the doors of Hawkins High School and stomped my feet on the ground as soon as I entered. I shivered and let the soft wool of my mittens slide off of my hands. I checked my watch. I was just on time for class, but the first bell would have already rang,

“Hello Gladys!” I chimed to the librarian as I hurried past her. Her chunky heels clicked across the linoleum.

“Nancy, you’re not early today?” I felt my eyes crinkle in the corners from her teasing. I sniped over my shoulder,  
“I was up all night reading the book _you_ lent me” She chuckled in understanding as she clipped away. I rounded the corner and pushed open the door to Mrs. Pritchard’s English room. 

Inside multiple students looked up at me rushing to the back of the room. I set down my bag and fell into my seat. Jonathan was sat in front of me. His leather jacket crinkled as he turn around to smile at me. We’d gone on a few dates since I’d broken up with Steve, but we weren’t like "boyfriend-girlfriend". At least not yet. I settled in and pulled out a pencil as the scratchy sound of chalk on board filled the room. Time for another one of Pritchard's lessons. 

After class Jonathan leaned against my locker and smiled at me. Sunlight was filtering in through a window nearby. It lit his face in the glow of the sun. He looked adorable, “So Nancy, I was wondering… if… maybe” He fiddled with a piece of paper and glanced into the distance before making eye contact with me. Other students milled around us in an effort to get wherever they were going. I smiled at him to let him know that I wanted to hear what he had to say, “I figure like… we’ve been out on a couple of dates since you know everything…” He clenched his hands together and sucked in a quick breath, “I want to go to the Snow Ball as a couple, like be official and… stuff”. I felt a giddy grin spread across my face. He wanted to be an official couple, with me. Like he would walk through the hall and think _oh there’s my girlfriend Nancy_ , and I’d look back at him and think _man there’s my boyfriend Jonathan._ I was grinning so wide it hurt.

“Yeah, I would really like that Jonathan” I closed my locker. He let out the air he’d sucked in before and his face lit up in a grin of relief. I hope he hadn’t thought there was a possibility I would say no. We started towards the cafeteria and began conversation as usual. We agreed that he would pick me up so we could meet at Hawkins Middle to set up for the dance. 

The school day whirled by me in a collection of chemistry notes and equations. I arrived home and bounced up the stairs. The fuzzy wool of the carpet scraped against the bottoms of my feet. Of course I had been excited to help out at the dance, I was happy to see Mike starting to get out there, but I was even more excited that me and Jonathan would be there as a couple. I sat down at my vanity and began to fiddle with my hair. I wanted it to look elegant, but also functional; I was working, not dancing the night away. I turned on some music and let my hands dance through my hair, twisting and working so that the perfect look would be achieved. I finished it with slick mascara and a shiny lip gloss. 

\------

Jonathan arrived at five o’clock sharp. He’d sprayed some form of cologne in his car. It smelt like pine and cedarwood. My _boyfriend_ had good taste in cologne. I slammed the car door shut behind me and rubbed my hands together in an attempt to warm up. When I turned to look at him he was staring.

“Do I have something on my face?” I quickly tried to check my appearance in the rear view mirror. Jonathan laughed at me and put the car into gear, the car clunked and hummed in anticipation of its journey,

“Nancy you look stunning, there’s nothing wrong.” a rose shade spread from his ears across to his nose, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stare.” I let out a giggle and smiled at him.

“Good, that was my intended effect, I want you to stare” He made a quick maneuver out of the driveway and we were off. We cruised along the Hawkins roads in comfortable silence. The tires of the car crunched the snow underneath. I let myself take in Jonathan’s appearance. He wore a crisp cut suit with some shoes he’d tried to shine the scuffs out of. 

“Jonathan” I let the flirt come out in my voice. He turned me, 

“Yeah?”

“You look nice also” He blushed again at the compliment and tucked his hair behind his ear. He thanked me and focused again on the road.

\---

I barely noticed the time it took to set everything up. By the time I looked at my watch I realized that kids would be streaming through the doors in only half an hour. Jonathan and I were almost finished setting up his little photo-booth, “You see I picked this colour scheme because I figured most kids would be wearing darks - you know blues and blacks and stuff - I want the pictures to look good” I smiled at his care and finished securing the last pole into place. The backdrop was made from a flowing tulle. He’d spent a good hour searching through Joyce’s shed to find the right combination of sheets. 

“When Mr. Pricks took our pictures in the seventh grade, he kept the cap on the lens. Anything you do will be awesome” I placed my hand reassuringly on his back and pressed a small kiss to his cheek, “You’re an amazing photographer”. He smiled back at me and began adjusting his tripod. I told him that I probably wouldn’t see him a lot during the dance, but that I’d told my parents I’d be home at ten, so we’d have plenty of time to take stuff down. 

I left Jonathan to make my way over to the drink table. I began to recheck that anything we’d need in an emergency was present. We had bandages, polysporin, tape, and tissues (for the inevitable tween drama which would unfold). I began counting off the items when Mrs. Pritchard came up beside me. 

“Nancy, I saw that you and Jonathan arrived in the same car. Are you having car trouble?” I could hear the concern in her voice. I straightened from under the table and smiled at her. 

“No Mrs. Pritchard, Jonathan is… actually my boyfriend now.” I expected her to judge me in the way that adults tend to judge teenagers, but she grinned instead and turned her gaze to look at me full on.

“Now that is a smart match Ms. Wheeler, quite a smart match” 

As if on cue Jonathan turned to look at us, unaware that we were talking about him, and flashed us a big grin. The lights of the gymnasium lit him in a funny purple hue.

“He’s absolutely pumped Mrs. Pritchard, he gets all geeky about this photography stuff” She laughed and nodded. She began to tell me stories about her husband and his obsession with model trains, just as she was getting to the good bit of one of her stories I saw the first middle-schooler walk through the door. She quickly noticed also and bid me a goodbye for the evening. I watched her shuffle away to her assigned station. 

The girl who had walked through the door was extremely tall for her age. She had a small sparkly clutch under her hand. She must’ve felt extremely nervous being the first one here. God knows even I get anxious to show up to events first. I greeted her warmly and asked if she’d like a glass of punch. I remembered what it was like to be that young and awkward. I made conversation with her and she slowly began to relax. I kept talking with her until her friends came through the door and she instantly brightened up. The Snow Ball had begun. 

\----

Plastic cups, streamers, and balloons lay strewn across the floor of the gymnasium. I heard some kind of chips crunch under my flats as I made my way through the mess. A janitor nearby was slowly working her way across the room with her giant mop. A slow love song was playing over her stereo. A few other teens were around the school locking up for the night. It had been an excellent Snow Ball. Jonathan met me in the middle of the room and shoved his hands in his pockets, “I love this song” he said. I let myself slightly sway to the beat and nodded my head,

“Yeah this is a really good one” I let my gaze wander across the room before I looked back at him. He had stretched out his hand and was smirking at me, 

“I know it wasn’t our Snow Ball, but I was wondering, could I have this dance?” I felt my heart warm at the gesture and eagerly took his hand. 

I accepted his hand and we swayed among the wreckage of the middle school dance. LED lights drifted lazily across the floor, and a single balloon drifted down from the roof. The swoosh and click of the janitors broom was a small background accompaniment. We let the magnetic music dictate our movements. I was lost in the ebb and flow of the melody. It was liked we were wrapped in a thick blanket of the rhythm. It was the best way to end the long week: with my boyfriend.


	2. Chapter 2: Little "Ginger-Guys"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and Jonathan bake some cookies

I waved goodbye to Mr. Nelson and hopped into my car, “Jonathan don’t forget! Sunday morning!” Mr. Nelson called after me and I chuckled at his polite nagging. I assured him that I would be there for work. I shifted my car into gear and pulled out onto the snow covered asphalt. The roads were slightly icy the day before, but they’d been graveled and salted. I cruised down the main drag, and turned up the heat; I wanted it to be super toasty for Nancy when she got in. I rounded the corner and saw her standing on the steps of the library. She had her pink mittens on, and her nose was a cherry red. 

God she looked beautiful. 

She hurried to the car and slipped in as quickly as possible.The leather of the chair creaked as she moved around. Her seatbelt slid into place with a satisfying click. She began warming her hands against the vents as fast as possible. 

“So what are we gonna be doing?” She pulled off her beanie. 

“I’d been thinking we could bake something. Like Christmas cookies ya know?” She grinned widely at me and clasped her hands together in excitement.

“That sounds like so much fun!” she beamed. Thank God, I’d been afraid that she would think it was stupid. I let my grip on the steering wheel loosen as I relaxed at her approval. 

“Yeah, I bought some baking stuff, it’s already at the house” I tried to sound nonchalant, like I hadn’t told my mom five times not to use it all up before her and I could. 

The trees zoomed past us as white and black blobs. I let the car cruise along the windy road as Nancy and I chatted over baking ideas. The gentle pull of the vehicle as we hummed around the corners was comforting. I came up on the driveway and slowly braked so that I could pull in. Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway, so she must’ve been at work. Will had told me that he would be at Mike’s house until nine o’clock. I was supposed to drop Nancy off when I went to get him. We got out of the car and scurried into the house to escape the cold.

Nancy had been here quite a few times already, but she still had that awkward stance you carry when you don’t quite know if it’s appropriate to make yourself at home in another person’s house. I guess most of the times she’d been here there had been a threat of imminent death. Being here to bake cookies _was_ a deviation from the normal. She looked at me expectantly and grinned. I want her to feel comfortable here, so I rush to help her get rid of her baggage.

I pointed at the couch, “You can leave your stuff there, or like in my room, whatever really,” she dropped her bag and coat onto the couch and rubbed her hands together, 

“Let’s get our bake on” she gleamed. 

\---

“Okay this isn’t fair. Who uses one seventh of a cup?” Nancy exclaimed at the cookbook. I chuckled at her incredulous expression and handed her the measuring cup,

“I’m sure you can figure it out,” I said to her. She stared at the cup for a split second before her eyes lit up,

“Do you by chance have a scale in the bathroom?” She inquired mischievously. I chuckled at her again and nodded my head. She turned on her heel and hurried down the hall. I appreciated her energy. She returned quickly with the scale under her arm. She shot the cookbook a triumphant look. I’m surprised she didn’t stick her tongue out at it. She ripped the top of the sugar bag off. 

“This reminds me of Mrs. Fickle, my fourth grade teacher” I leaned against the counter to watch her work and questioned her,

“Why’s that?” I reached for the cup of tea I’d brewed for myself,

“She used to add four teaspoons of sugar to her tea” She laughed at the memory,

“How’d you know that? You went to lunch with your fourth grade teacher?” I cocked my head and took a sip of the tea. She topped off the measuring cup and set down the giant white sack,

“No. She used to let me stay in with her at lunch. I was scared my books would get wet if I went outside” She stuck her finger in the bag of sugar and took a taste of the sweet granules, 

“That’s my favourite childhood memory. Helping her load the sugar into her little tea station. She never even let any of the other kids _near_ it” I grinned. Of course Mrs. Fickle trusted Nancy with her precious china,

“I get why she trusted you” 

She smiled at me and held up the measuring cup,

“There we go. Seven ounces is one cup, therefore, one ounce is a seventh” She grinned at her cleverness,

“You are quite the chef there,” I teased her and set down my mug.

“Let’s get those gingerbread men cracking!” she said as she grabbed the flour from the shelf. 

\---

The dough was spicy and nutty and melded perfectly under my fingers. Fat snow had begun to fall outside. Nancy was covered in flour. I stared out the window and flattened the dough out. 

“This snow reminds me of _my_ favourite childhood memory” She turned to me and popped a small chunk of dough into her mouth. I was fairly certain that you weren’t supposed to do that, but if it made her happy then I didn’t care. Her eyes were bright with curiosity,

“Tell me about it” She prompted me and swallowed her chunk of spicy sugar and flour. I lined up my first little ginger guy and pressed him into the counter, 

“My mom was working super late, and it was Christmas Eve. Lonnie didn’t want to take me and Will sledding.” I popped the cookie cutter out and tentatively lifted my little guy off of the counter, “Will would have been like seven? I was ten” I chuckled as I remembered our little escape plan, “We pretended to go to sleep, and when Lonnie was sleeping I grabbed our snow stuff.” I let out a laugh as I remembered the antics, “Will barely fit into any of my hand-me-down stuff. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I tried to zip up his snowsuit. I was so scared we’d get caught” Nancy giggled along with me, “I took him to the little hill up the road and we must’ve been there for at least an hour” I arranged all of my gingermen on the pan and smiled at my accomplishment, “We snuck back into the house and thought we were fine” I opened the oven and slid the pan in, “But the next morning my mom barged into my room and started chewing me out. Our suits were all soaked from the snow, it was a dead give away” I leaned against the counter and tried to shake the flour out of my shirt. Nancy slid her pan of gingerbread men into the oven as well and chuckled.

She reached to grab the little timer, but I stood between her and her objective. She had to stretch her arm around me to grasp the little chicken figurine. We stood toe to toe as she held up the chicken in between us, “twelve minutes exactly” she said to me and twisted the knob. Instantly the timer began ticking. She set it down but didn’t step away. 

I reached out and gently wrapped my arms around her waist. Her sweater was fuzzy; it felt like something you’d sleep with. She placed her hands on my shoulder and looked at me from behind her lashes. The sounds of the timer fell away as I focused on her. She didn’t say anything and I didn’t say anything either. We just basked in the moment. I pressed my lips against hers and we shared a soft kiss. Here in the house, away from school, away from work, away from the cold. Arms around one another, safe and warm and alone, we kissed. 


End file.
